


the memories that hold us

by mystoxxide



Series: DEVIL'S SWING || Hell AU [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alcohol, Drabble, Gen, Hellboys AU, Original au, Short, Street Fight, doing their demon thing, kinda melancholy vibes?, like they're literally in hell, mjegsdv tagging fics is hard i'll stop now, they're demons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:15:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24749731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystoxxide/pseuds/mystoxxide
Summary: Shawn broods about a past life, and Norman offers some strange form of comfort.
Relationships: Shawn Flynn & Norman Polk, Shawn Flynn & Wally Franks, Wally Franks & Norman Polk
Series: DEVIL'S SWING || Hell AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789717
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	the memories that hold us

Shawn peered out the window, onto the streets of Hell below. Wally was asleep at his side, both his thin wings wrapped around himself as his spade-tipped tail circled Shawn’s waist. The incubus’ shoulder was bandaged from a hard collision with a wall during the last mission.

The puppeteer hugged himself, rubbing an arm and feeling the burn ointment Susie had applied on him smear. This place was so horrid, so disgustingly and somewhat beautifully grotesque. This place was Hell. _Actual_ Hell. What had he done to end up here?

**_What are you thinking about?_** Anti inquired, his consciousness swarming to the front of Shawn’s mind.

Shawn sighed broodily, imagining a mental hand warding him away. Anti squawked as it batted at him, then fled back into his deep subconscious, growling about how he deserved better than this until his voice faded away.

There was a shuddering buzz beside him, followed by a soothing hum. The wall beside him turned a viscous, inky black, and Norman phased out. The shadow being floated across the hall to the medicinal cabinet, fishing out a heat pack before moving to the fridge and grabbing a beer.

“Norman?” Shawn inquired, stopping him just before he could shadow-travel again.

“Hey.” Norman mumbled, taking a spot next to Shawn on the couch. He rubbed his shoulder and cracked open the alcohol, taking a long, hard swig. Shawn had always been slightly confused as to how Norman ate and drank, seeing as he was literally a humanoid shape of darkness, but he seemed to manage.

Wally stirred next to them, rubbing an eye and letting out a childish whine as his shoulder moved. He draped himself over Shawn and Norman’s laps before drifting off again. Norman set his hand in the little demon’s hair, rubbing his scalp and causing his body to erupt with vibrating purrs. The puppeteer took to staring down onto the street below, watching a fight erupt between a witchdoctor and a voltage as a crowd of other demons cheered them on.

“It’s awful,” He said, watching as the voltage summoned raw electricity from a nearby power plant and formed it into a whip. “Why does this place exist, Norman? Why are we here?” He turned to him. “Lucy says there’s no such thing as heaven. That there’s only a tamer part of the underworld and here.” He stifled a sob. “What’s the point? Knowing that we ended up here, knowing that we were _bad people._ And what do we do? Murder more people.” The witchdoctor had taken to deflecting his enemy’s attacks, presumably saving up energy for a large spell. Shawn was on the verge of tears. “I—I _killed_ people Norms. Not Anti. Me. It was my body, I should’ve been able to establish control and I didn’t and—” His mouth formed a hard trembling line, jaw locking. He bit his lip, one vivid green eye threatening to leak black gunk down his face.

“Shawn—” Norman began gently.

“I mean, I killed everyone here, and now I have to work with their alternates and see their faces _every day,_ and— And I have to see Grant, and Jack, and Wally, and _you,_ and I have to remember how I murdered you all and how I was a sick fucking bastard who couldn’t see what was coming to get him--"

Norman interrupted him by roughly pressing the beer bottle to his lips, forcing him to open up and allow the thick liquid to spill down his throat. Shawn whined in protest, the other keeping it there for a few long seconds before he pulled back. The puppeteer choked and wheezed at the burning sensation in his throat, trying to push the shadow being away. “N-Norms, this is serious—”  
  
Norman made a grumbly noise, pushing the almond-haired demon’s head back and forcing more beer down his throat. Shawn protested but eventually just focused on drinking it all to keep himself from literally drowning in alcohol. Eventually he began to enjoy it and took the bottle, finishing it off.

“Better?” He was asked as he handed it back.

“Much better.” Shawn sighed.

There was a rumble, and a round of collective screams- both of fear and excitement- as a ghostly blue dragon appeared. It was too big for the narrow street and when it raised its wings the closest apartments crumbled in on themselves. The wispy creature let out a howl that reverberated across the city of Hell, lifting one foot, tail lashing and crushing more buildings before slamming it down on the poor electricity being. When it lifted away, the dragon’s talons had imprinted into the cobblestone, with the voltage lying in the center unmoving. The giant ghost dissipated with a final roar, and there was a resounding cheer. The witchdoctor was lifted up and carried through the streets, presumably to the nearest pub, while the voltage was dragged away by his buddies.

Shawn felt pressure on his shoulders, before realising Norman was rubbing them. “There certainly is no rhyme or reason to why we’re here,” The shadow being murmured, “But if it helps, I’m glad I met all of you in the process.” Then his form shuddered, and he melted away.

And with a sleeping incubus on his lap, Shawn was left to think.

**Author's Note:**

> dhjc somft boys  
> this is just something i whipped up to set up the au lmao it doesn't have much meaning or depth other than a bit of relationship/world/lore-building  
> as always, kudos, comments and fanfic requests are appreciated ^^


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